Blackstonian

Mass. lowers state ID age from 16 to 14

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mass. lowers state ID age from 16 to 14
By Associated Press | Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

BOSTON — A new Massachusetts law has dropped the age for getting a state-issued identification card from 16 to 14, allowing everyone old enough to get a worker’s permit to also get an ID establishing their name, address and date of birth.

Rosalie Montalvo of Worcester, who turns 15 on Monday, likes the change. He says it’s good to have identification on him when he looks for a job. He also calls it "training for the real world," since adults need to carry ID all the time.

The identification cards cost $25. Those issued to people under 21 are printed vertically, rather than horizontally, so they could never be used to buy liquor.

Applicants under 18 must have a parental signature along with a valid birth certificate and Social Security card.

The cards could also help police enforce curfew laws.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298646

Massacre described in detail

Massacre described in detail
By Laurel J. Sweet | Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

‘EMBRACE EACH OTHER’: The Rev. William Dickerson, center, prays with friends and family of the 4 people gunned down in the Mattapan massacre, including Patricia Washum-Bennett, mother of Levaughn Washum-Garrison, and her husband, James Benne
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

The massacre that rocked the city this fall was a cold-blooded execution over a drug robbery, prosecutors said yesterday, detailing for the first time the chilling sequence of events that left a toddler and three other bodies strewn in a Mattapan street.

“We promised not to rest until all the facts were known. With these charges, we’re significantly closer to that goal. But whatever satisfaction we may take in that knowledge pales in comparison to the pain etched on so many faces in Dorchester District Court,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a statement after 33-year-old Dwayne Moore was ordered held without bail by Judge James Coffey.

The unemployed Moore — who did not show his face in court — is charged with four counts of murder for the shooting deaths of his former roommate Simba Martin, 21, Martin’s girlfriend, Eyanna Louise Flonory, 21, her 2-year-old son, Amanihoteph Smith, and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22, shortly after 1:15 a.m. Sept. 28.

Public defender John Amabile entered not guilty pleas on Moore’s behalf.

On the fateful night, Moore and a con he befriended in state prison, Kimani Washington, went to Martin’s home armed “for the purpose of robbing him,” prosecutor Edmond Zabin said. Moore, he said, had shared the place over the summer and “knew the apartment intimately and that drugs and cash could be found there.”

Moore tried to bring Martin outside when Marcus Hurd, 32, drove up and Martin came out to meet him. Then, Zabin said, the defendants forced both victims inside at gunpoint and stripped them naked in the apartment — where they found Washum-Garrison, Flonory and her son.

After robbing the home of a safe, cash and drugs, Moore and Washington marched the five victims up to Woolson Street, where all of them were shot multiple times, Zabin said. Hurd survived but remains in critical condition.

Washington has been held on $1 million bail since his October arraignment on gun and drug charges.

Moore was tracked down by cops after a grand jury witness testified to seeing a gun in his hand during the robbery. He was arrested Monday night at the Morton Street apartment — opposite the District B-3 police station — where he’d been living since the shootings.

After his arrest, Moore cowered in the corner of a police interview room and whimpered to detectives, “I can’t do this, I can’t go back to jail. You’re going to have to kill me,” according to court documents.

Moore is classified in court records as a “career criminal” with arrests dating to 1991 for armed robbery, armed carjacking and assault and battery.

He was convicted in 1996 of stabbing and plunging a knife through the neck of 17-year-old Keema Braxton of Milton on Aug. 11, 1995, to settle an argument outside a Mattapan party. Moore was charged with first-degree murder, but convicted by a jury of manslaughter.

He served out his 15-year sentence and according to the Department of Correction, was released from prison April 13 — just five months before the murders.

Yesterday in Dorchester District Court, family and friends of the massacre victims wore buttons and T-shirts honoring their dead.

“Let them, Lord God, be able to embrace each other and celebrate the lives they left behind,” said the Rev. William Dickerson as he gathered the families around him in the courthouse lobby for a Thanksgiving prayer.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298534

Sources: Murphy has votes to be council president

By Dave Wedge | Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

The City Hall battle to succeed Council President Michael Ross appears resolved as longtime Councilor Steve Murphy has the votes needed to become the board’s next leader, several sources told the Herald this morning.

Murphy had been lobbying for the post for several weeks and nailed down enough votes last night to win the January election, sources said.

Murphy, who declined comment, has been the chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee and most recently lost a bid for state treasurer. A source close to the negotiations said Murphy was able to sway several councilors who had previously been uncommitted.

As part of the leadership change, Councilor Michael Ciommo will become head of the council’s Ways and Means Committee while Councilor John Connolly will take over the top post on the Education Committee.

Ross and several other councilors either did not return calls or declined to comment.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1298626

Viral justice? The media might have moved on, but RCC students won't let a case of potential police brutality on campus fade without a fight

Viral justice?
The media might have moved on, but RCC students won't let a case of potential police brutality on campus fade without a fight

AFTER-SCHOOL PROJECT: When video of Boston Police using force to restrain a 16-year-old boy at Roxbury Community College was posted online, RCC students protested near campus and pressed the BPD for answers. The matter is now under investigation by the Suffolk County DA’s office.
By CHRIS FARAONE | November 23, 2010

The seven-minute YouTube clip begins with five Boston police officers, crowding a Roxbury Community College entranceway, restraining a face-down suspect. Before it's clear what's happening, a plainclothes cop in jeans and work boots pins the boy's left calf, throws four hammer punches to the back, then switches to southpaw and delivers three uppercuts. Moving a uniformed colleague out of the way, the same officer then assumes a runner's stance, secures his grip, and follows up with three knees to the chest. The suspect is instructed to put his hands behind his back, and responds in evident agony: "My hands are behind my back . . . Who the fuck keeps stepping on me?"

That's just from one angle. A shorter video shot by another witness begins moments earlier, and shows the plainclothes officer connecting with seven blows to the torso, while another cop is swinging on the suspect's rib cage. Through the ordeal, it's hard to see the victim's face, though blood leaks from underneath his green hood and smears the metal grate scraping his nose, as well as the left pant leg of an officer who's straddling his neck.

The video went viral four days after the October 22 incident. Community outrage was fueled by the revelation that the suspect — a fugitive fleeing from Department of Youth Services custody — was only 16 years old, and by a police report that did not appear to match the video. In the days after, RCC students protested near campus, and marched down Columbus Avenue to picket Boston Police Department headquarters. Faith leaders and local activists joined the cause, as did a handful of Boston elected officials.

City Councilor Ayanna Pressley tweeted that she was "deeply troubled," while her colleague, Council President Mike Ross, gave his own condemnation of what he called "an unmeasured use of force." Ross's comments drew the ire of an attorney for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, who suggested that Ross "spend the day at the police academy, learning how police officers are trained."

Mayor Tom Menino had a more cautious response. "We don't tolerate this in Boston," he told reporters. "If we have to bring action, we will bring action, but what you see [in the videos] might not be the whole story."

Under increasing public pressure, BPD Commissioner Ed Davis turned the investigation over to the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. The DA's office described the request as unusual in the case of a non-fatal arrest.

Other than the police report, which is at odds with what the videos show by claiming the victim violently resisted arrest, there have been few explanations provided by the city — let alone apologies offered. The events of October 22 inflicted lasting wounds, as the images of that juvenile being held down and assaulted remain stuck in the minds of those who witnessed the struggle first-hand, and also on the conscience of many more RCC students who have since taken up the fight against police brutality. Their message: this is not going to blow over.

"For this to take place on campus, it means that it can happen to everyone here," says Tajudeen Akinbode, a second-semester biological-science major and outspoken student rep. "This would not have happened at Boston University. Some people around here don't want to talk about it, but I'm not keeping quiet. Considering that some students feel insecure and unsafe, this is what we're supposed to talk about. We have to."

'We're being ignored'
At first, the RCC community was divided on how far to pursue the issue — given that the victim was not one of its own. But it now seems determined, as a whole, to get some answers. School president Dr. Terrence Gomes upset some students and faculty with an October 28 e-mail labeling the incident a "police matter," since the arrested party is not enrolled at RCC. But Gomes has come to sympathize with the RCC' community's outrage over cops engaging in what the videos present as violent actions. He says he'd been unaware of the arrest before it hit the Web, and regrets his initial reaction to dismiss the school's role in healing the resulting wounds. This week, Gomes told the Phoenix he shares the prevailing worry about students' sense of safety, and is working to support those who are questioning the incident that split their school and shocked the city.

"The students are well within their right to protest however they feel they need to," says Gomes. "Upon watching the video, I observed what in my opinion was excessive force . . . Despite what may go on nearby, this has always been a safe haven, and I don't want students to ever feel like they have to worry about those kinds of things happening here."

Like her school president, protest organizer India Cox didn't know about the arrest until she heard about it on the morning news. She's in her second year at RCC, and a criminal-justice major, yet no one in her circle knew about the melee prior to it making headlines. So when she learned that a teenager had endured such treatment — in plain sight, no less — Cox jumped into action, helping organize two demonstrations in as many days. She had no trouble finding support; others — including Eusida Blidgen, who posted the bombshell videos on YouTube — were also rounding up troops.

"We felt then and still feel like we're being ignored," says Cox. "The officers have not been fired, so it's our belief that there's not much being done. [The authorities] want things to die down, and to think this is going to go away. But it's not. We're going to keep raising the issue until we see results."

Tuning out
In the media, the story topped the local news for two nights running and seemed to have legs. Four days after the initial reports broke, it was discovered that one of the parties involved, 32-year-old patrol officer Michael McManus, had two years earlier — during the celebration following the Celtics' 2008 NBA championship — tackled an Emmanuel College student. The student subsequently died from related complications, and earlier this year, the city paid a $3 million out-of-court settlement to his family. (McManus is assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the current investigation. The department did not respond by press time to Phoenix inquiries regarding other officers involved.)

That detail, however, failed to keep the story in the news. Videos of the beating continued to rack up tens of thousands of views on YouTube, but with the midterm elections approaching, Boston's major media outlets tuned out after a week — even as dedicated community and RCC activists soldiered on.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk County DA tells the Phoenix that, while their report is not yet ready, it will eventually be disclosed to the public. But in the meantime, while the investigation carries on behind closed doors, Cox and hundreds of her fellow students continue to strategize, and are organizing a rally to the State House for sometime in the coming weeks. "I think we're all as shocked that a lot of us didn't know about this before it was on YouTube as we are about what actually happened," she says.

"The police need to come out and talk to us and answer our questions," says student-government rep Akinbode. "They don't give a damn about us, or see our demonstrations as a threat. Drastic measures need to be taken, because right now this is not justice. Someone needs to apologize to the family of this person, the faculty, and the entire student body. Our demand is simple — that all of these people who carried this out be fired. They're not the kind of people who we want in law enforcement."

Watch the videos at thePhoenix.com/news. Chris Faraone can be reached at cfaraone@phx.com.

Man charged in 4 Mattapan killings held without bail

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Man charged in 4 Mattapan killings held without bail
By Laurel J. Sweet and Laura Crimaldi | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Dwayne Moore, center, stands behind a courtroom door to a hallway during his arraignment today on murder and other charges in the Sept. 28 killings of four people in Mattapan.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

The Mattapan man accused of gunning down four people Sept. 28, including a toddler, in a bloody massacre marched the victims onto Woolson Street where they met their deaths after a drug-fueled robbery at one of the victim’s homes, prosecutors said today.

Dwayne Moore, 33, who has a lengthy arrest record, did not show his face during his arraignment at Dorchester District Court, where grieving family members gathered wearing T-shirts and pins honoring their loved ones.

Court records show he was linked to the massacre by an unnamed witness who testified before a Suffolk grand jury. After being arrested at his home yesterday, Moore told investigators he does not want to go back to prison.

“I can’t do this. I can’t go back to jail. You’re going to have to kill me,” Moore told officers during an interview at Boston police headquarters, court records show.

Moore faces four counts of murder and one count of armed assault with intent to murder for allegedly shooting Eyanna Louise Flonory, 21, her 2-year-old son Amanihoteph Smith, Flonory’s boyfriend Simba Martin, 21, and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22. A fifth victim, Marcus Hurd, 32, remains hospitalized in “very critical condition,” said Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin.

Defense attorney John Amabile entered not guilty pleas on Moore’s behalf. A second man, Kimani Washington, 34, was arrested last month after he admitted to police that two firearms seized from his mother’s apartment a day after the killings belonged to him, police said.

Zabin said Moore moved into Martin’s apartment at 23 Sutton St. after he was released from prison over the summer after serving time for the stabbing death of a Milton teen in 1995.

Moore and Washington went to Martin’s home on Sept. 28 and attempted to lure him out of the house “for the purpose of the robbing him,” Zabin said.

Shortly thereafter, Hurd also pulled up to the home. Before losing consciousness, Hurd told rescuers in an ambulance that he went to Martin’s home to buy drugs, Zabin said.

Moore “knew the apartment intimately and that drugs and cash could be found there,” Zabin said.

When Martin met Hurd outside, Zabin said, they were set upon by the assailants at gunpoint.

Hurd and Martin were forced back into the home, where they were forced to strip, Zabin said. Moore then went through the house rounding up cash, drugs and a TV set, Zabin said.

Garrison, Flonory, her son, Martin and Hurd were then marched onto Woolson Street, where they were shot, Zabin said.

Moore’s cell phone records show he called Martin just before the shooting, Zabin said. After the shooting, Moore called Washington “to divide the proceeds from the robbery,” Zabin added.

Amabile said he didn’t know anything about the case.

“My client didn’t have any involvement,” he said. “I certainly object to things like my client’s record being put out there for no apparent reason.”

A probable cause hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 22.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298378

Cops investigating whether mutilated teen fell from plane

Cops investigating whether mutilated teen fell from plane
By Joe Dwinell | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Officials are investigating whether or not N.C. Delvonte Tisdale fell from a plane. The discovery of Tisdale’s body was investigated by Milton Police last week. A note found in his pocket led to his identification.
Photo by Herald file

Investigators trying to solve the mystery of how the mutilated body of a 16-year-old from North Carolina ended up dropped on a posh Milton lawn are asking Logan International Airport officials to probe if the boy was a stowaway on a jet.

“We’ve been requested to look into the possibility of that,” Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella told the Herald this morning.

“There’s a remote possibility — a remote possibility,” Orlandella said of the theory the teen could have been hiding on a plane coming into Logan from North Carolina. It is probable the teen could have crept into a wheel well.

Orlandella said jets approaching Boston from the south drop their landing gear right above Milton at about "1,500 to 1,700 feet" near the Blue Hills. "As they approach runway 4 Right, usually wheels go down at about that height," Orlandella said this afternoon.

When asked if a plane was due into the airport around the time of the teen’s death Nov. 15, Orlandella said there are numerous planes coming into Logan from North Carolina at all times of the day and night. A spokesman for the FAA also said jets from the south do pass right over Milton, but at a slightly higher altitude of 2,900 feet.

Orlandella added “law enforcement agencies” have turned to Logan officials and investigators to help in the puzzling case. “We’ve been asking questions,” he said this morning.

The mutilated body of Delvonte Tisdale was discovered on a Milton lawn last Monday night at 9:30 off Brierbrook Street and his identity was confirmed this weekend by detectives using a fingerprint match on “a known personal item.” Investigators had traveled to Tisdale’s home in Charlotte to hunt for any DNA clues or fingerprints to help identify the boy.

An autopsy did not show any clear signs of a cause of death beyond the obvious trauma, police said. Toxicology results are still pending.

Norfolk District Attorney William Keating’s office sent out a statement today saying they won’t divulge steps being taken in the probe.

"The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office is investigating every possibility regarding how Delvonte Tisdale came to be found dead on Brierbrook Street in Milton, Mass., on Monday, Nov. 15, but the office continues to decline to detail specific investigatory measures being taken," the statement reads. "The investigation remains active and ongoing on multiple fronts."

Police told the Herald on Friday Tisdale had severe head trauma — with some of his remains found in two places on the street — and his arms and legs were broken.

Tisdale, a North Mecklenburg High School student was last seen in Charlotte on Sunday. A missing person report was filed Monday, the day the unidentified body was found in Milton. There was no identification on Tisdale when he was discovered on the lawn wearing a pair of jeans over gray boxer shorts, but no shirt. He did have a note in his pocket — believed to be a hall pass — that included his last name.

That note proved to be a big break in the case.

The teen’s heartbroken dad said this afternoon he has no idea about any theory his son was a stowaway or why his boy would even leave Charlotte.

"I still can’t believe our son isn’t with us," said Anthony Tisdale, 38. "My son was a hard working young man. He didn’t frequent the streets ... he loved ROTC ... and video games."

"This is the most baffling thing we can understand," a family friend said in the televised press conference. The family added Delvonte did not have a fascination with planes.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298347

Cops: Gang war sparked JP shootout 3 dead shatters calm at pizzeria

Cops: Gang war sparked JP shootout
3 dead shatters calm at pizzeria
By Richard Weir | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Angela Rowlings
An apparent grudge match between warring gang members left three men dead, police and friends said yesterday as a usually tranquil Jamaica Plain neighborhood reeled in the wake of the pizza-parlor blood bath.

“We have not seen this kind of violence around here for a long time. I have not seen it ever in the center part of JP,” said state Rep. Liz Malia, a 40-year Jamaica Plain resident, as she sat at a table yesterday inside the popular Same Old Place pizza shop — scene of Sunday’s deadly rampage.

The outbreak of violence in the family-friendly Centre Street area spurred vows of a quick response by law enforcement.

“That type of incident is unusual in a typically quiet neighborhood. However, incidents like that are not acceptable on any street in the city,” said BPD spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll, adding that any “individuals who associate with these three should anticipate a significant amount of aggressive enforcement coming their way.”

Gangs have long warred in the Jackson and Egleston Square areas of Jamaica Plain, but the neighborhood’s gentrified downtown has been immune from shootouts.

That changed around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, when members of rivaling blocks stumbled across each other at the scruffy, 37-year-old pizzeria, police said.

One slug left a spider’s web of cracks in a mirrored wall, another bullet pierced a wall separating the dining area from the kitchen and a third shattered the restaurant’s window.

That bullet — or shrapnel — grazed the wife of Boston labor lawyer Alan Shapiro, who happened to be walking nearby with two other women.

She’s fine,” said Shapiro, adding his wife — whose name is being withheld by the Herald at the request of her family — was grazed but treated and released from Faulkner Hospital.

Pizza shop owner Fred Ciampa, who was not working, said his staff told him they did not know the three men involved in the fight before.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he said. “We’re like an institution here. Everybody knows us.”

Boston police released few details yesterday on what triggered the outburst, other than that all three male victims had arrest records and were involved in gangs.

“The altercation began inside and made its way outside,” Driscoll said. “One individual pulled out a knife. The other individual pulled out a gun and was able to shoot the two other individuals.”

The 20-year-old who wielded the knife, identified by his friends and a police source as Johnnel “Bo” Cruz Nova of Jamaica Plain, managed to fatally stab his 20-year-old foe before that man fatally shot him and mortally wounded his 28-year-old friend.

Eric Vila, 21, a tattoo artist, said he bumped into Cruz Nova as the two friends ordered pizza at Same Old Place moments before the shootings. They talked about expanding the tattoo of a .38 snub-nosed revolver on his friend’s right arm.

“He told me, ‘I’m trying to do my whole arm. I want to put ‘Money, respect, power, with a whole bunch of gunsmoke. Can you do that?’ I told him no problem. See me tomorrow. ... I said, ‘You be careful,’ ” recalled Vila, who left the pizzeria to go to a 7-Eleven, only to get a phone call minutes later that his pal had been shot.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298288

Cops nab main suspect in Mattapan massacre

Cops nab main suspect in Mattapan massacre
By O’Ryan Johnson | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Framed portrait of Eyanna and her son Amani at the funeral services for Eyanna Flonory and her son Amannetep ‘Amani’ Smith at the Morning Star Baptist Church.

Photo by Ted Fitzgerald (file)

A man was arrested on murder charges last night for the Mattapan massacre in which four people, including a toddler, were gunned down in what police say was a drug deal gone bad.

Dwayne Moore, 33, of Mattapan was charged with four counts of murder and one count of assault with intent to murder. He is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court today.

Moore is the only suspect charged with the killings in the Sept. 28 bloodbath on Woolson Street. Another man previously was charged with firearms violations.

In 1996. Moore, then 19, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 to 18 years in the 1995 stabbing death of a Milton teen, Keema Braxton, 17, at a party in Mattapan, according to a law enforcement source and news reports. It was unclear last night when and under what circumstances he was released from prison.

The early morning massacre happened on a street plagued by gunfire. The mass killing signaled a spike in deadly violence throughout the city this year, capped by a triple-homicide Sunday in Jamaica Plain.

There have been 69 homicides in the city so far this year, compared with 45 at the same time last year.

The Mattapan homicides stunned the community with the heartless slaying of 2-year-old Amanihoteph Smith, who was shot through the heart in the arms of his mother, Eyanna Louise Flonory.

Also killed were Flonory’s boyfriend, Simba Martin, 21, and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22, formerly of Roslindale. A fifth victim, Marcus Hurd, remains on life support.

The other suspect who was arrested days after the killings, Kimani Washington, 34, admitted to police that two firearms seized from his mother’s apartment a day after the killings belonged to him, police said. He remains jailed on firearms violations.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298259

Third person dies in aftermath of Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting

Monday, November 22, 2010

Third person dies in aftermath of Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting
By O’Ryan Johnson and Laura Crimaldi | Monday, November 22, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Angela Rowlings

Another victim caught in the crossfire of a shooting last night on Jamaica Plain’s bustling Centre Street has died, bringing the death toll to three and prompting police to vow a crackdown on gang members.

Police say all three victims are believed to be gang affiliated.

Police spokeswoman Elain Driscoll told the Herald this afternoon the department now has a “laser focus” on gang members tied to the brazen gunfight.

“As a result of this incident, the individuals who associate with these three (victims) should anticipate a significant amount of aggressive enforcement coming their way,” Driscoll said.

One of the victims, described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, was taken into police custody before he died, said Driscoll. He suffered from “possible stab wounds” and was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, police said.

A second victim, also described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, police said.

A third victim, a 28-year-old man Hispanic man, died today. He was previously listed in stable condition earlier today at Boston Medical Center.

Officer Eddy Chrispin told the Associated Press the fight began Sunday night at Same Old Place. He says the fight continued out on the street in front of the eatery and shots were fired.

A fourth victim, who is female, was treated and released from Faulkner Hospital, police said.

The shooting started at 7:24 p.m. when a fight broke out and three men were shot inside the restaurant. A woman passing by outside was grazed in the leg, police said. One of the men shot was apprehended outside the restaurant holding a gun, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said.

“The initial report is all part of a fight and it’s all self-contained,” Davis said. “They are all here.”

An eyewitness, John, 45, who declined to give his last name but was interviewed by police at the scene, said he had just left J.P. Licks and had crossed the street when he heard about seven shots and saw a man fall on the pavement.

“It was really scary. It was like the Wild West. It was just like the Wild West,” John said.

Police cordoned off a large section of the neighborhood last night while homicide detectives rounded up a number of witnesses who were placed inside of an MBTA bus to await further questioning.

Patrols have been increased in the neighborhood.

Richard Weir contributed.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297970

Two dead, two injured in Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting

Two dead, two injured in Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting
By O’Ryan Johnson and Laura Crimaldi | Monday, November 22, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Chitose Suzuki

Two people were killed and two were injured after a shooting on Jamaica Plain’s bustling Centre Street last night, police said, in a scene one witness likened to the “Wild West.”

One of the victims, described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, was taken into police custody before he died, said Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll. He suffered from “possible stab wounds” and was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, police said.

A second victim, also described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, police said.

Officer Eddy Chrispin told the Associated Press the fight began Sunday night at Same Old Place. He says the fight continued out on the street in front of the eatery and shots were fired.

A third victim, who was described as a 28-year-old Hispanic man, is in stable condition at Boston Medical Center. A fourth victim, who is female, was treated and released from Faulkner Hospital, police said.

The shooting started at 7:24 p.m. when a fight broke out and three men were shot inside the restaurant. A woman passing by outside was grazed in the leg, police said. One of the men shot was apprehended outside the restaurant holding a gun, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said.

“The initial report is all part of a fight and it’s all self-contained,” Davis said. “They are all here.”

An eyewitness, John, 45, who declined to give his last name but was interviewed by police at the scene, said he had just left J.P. Licks and had crossed the street when he heard about seven shots and saw a man fall on the pavement.

“It was really scary. It was like the Wild West. It was just like the Wild West,” John said.

Police cordoned off a large section of the neighborhood last night while homicide detectives rounded up a number of witnesses who were placed inside of an MBTA bus to await further questioning.

Patrols have been increased in the neighborhood.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297970

Tokers blow smoke at pot fines

By Laurel J. Sweet | Monday, November 22, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Potheads who’ve found the grass is greener under the state’s mellowed-out marijuana law have racked up as much as $64,500 in unpaid fines in Boston alone, thumbing their noses at hundreds of citations that cops have written up, but authorities are powerless to enforce.

Now the City Council wants to smoke out the stoner scofflaws.

“Everybody’s laughing in the face of this thing. We need to find a way to tighten up the loopholes that are allowing precious dollars to escape,” said Councilor Stephen J. Murphy, chairman of the committee on public safety.

Of the more than 760 $100 fines written up in Boston this year as of Nov. 4, police list 645 as unpaid with no way of accounting if any were cleared up at courts or by drop-ins to City Hall, a Herald review found.

Murphy has formally requested a public hearing to examine the police department’s struggle to enforce fines for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis. He’s also mulling measures such as seeking the Legislature’s permission to collect overdue dope debts through tax liens — such as the city does now with unpaid trash and snow removal fines under its so-called “Green Ticket Law.”

But Bill Downing, director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, insists the new right to toke should not have a price tag.

“There’s this concept called freedom. The people of Massachusetts voted to tell the cops to leave these people alone. If they don’t pay their tickets, who cares? What, are you going to float city and town budgets on the backs of the pot-smoking public?”

Presently, a pot-possession ticket is supposed to be paid at police headquarters in 21 days. This year, only 52 tokers made the deadline. Police credited another 63 as being paid off after the due date, including one through South Boston District Court.

Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said, “The police commissioner feels our responsibility is to enforce the law the way it currently stands.”

Cheryl Sibley, chief administrator of Boston Municipal Court, said there is “very limited recourse” for the courts to force payment if potheads don’t request a hearing to fight the ticket and police don’t seek a civil contempt hearing to enforce it.

But the cops and the courts both complain that there is no formal process for the exchange of records, so compliance is hard to track.

But among the locations where Hub cops whacked weed whiffers this year were Boston Latin Academy and Charlestown High, their records show. Murphy suggests that indicates a problem that is not being addressed under the law as it stands.

“My own opinion is, we never should have decriminalized it,” Murphy said. “The question now is what can we develop by way of a system that would allow us to enforce the civil side of it.’’

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297999

DA identifies dead 16-year-old found in Milton

Sunday, November 21, 2010

DA identifies dead 16-year-old found in Milton
By Joe Dwinell | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

A Milton Police cruiser sits at the scene where a mutilated body was found Monday night in the middle of the street in front of 57 Brierbrook Street.
Photo by Matt Stone

The identity of the young man found horribly mutilated on a Milton street almost a week ago has been confirmed by a fingerprint as 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale of Charlotte, N.C., the Norfolk DA announced tonight.

The teen’s body was found with severe head trauma and his legs and arms were broken, police told the Herald last week. His remains were found on Brierbrook Street near the Blue Hills reservation.

Here’s the release just into the City Desk:

"Using a fingerprint analysis by State Police Crime Scene Services Section, authorities have been able to identify the young man found dead on Monday night in Milton as Delvonte Tisdale, born November 8, 1994, of Charlotte, North Carolina, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating announced tonight.

Massachusetts State Police detectives attached to Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating’s Office and Milton Police traveled to North Carolina this week to continue the investigation into the identity of the man and the circumstances of his death.

Massachusetts detectives and detectives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department collected a finger print from a known personal item of Delvonte Tisdale while in North Carolina. That finger print is a match to the finger print taken from the remains of the man in Massachusetts.

The investigation into this death remains active and ongoing."

The Charlotte Observer reports that Tisdale may have been traveling to Baltimore with friends who were headed to Boston. A white Audi A4, called "a car of interest," was spotted in Dorchester and the owners have been interviewed by cops. One is believed to be a Curry College student, police have said.

WBTV in Charlotte reports Tisdale was an ROTC student at North Mecklenburg High School and was last seen on Nov. 14.

Neighbor Carol Brinson told the TV station Delvonte would volunteer to help her take her garbage out.

"He would always stop by and talk, he wouldn’t just wave," Brinson told WBTV. "But he was soft-spoken and sweet and well-mannered; always out in the yard, helping his dad."

"What kind of person would do this to such a wonderful kid?" she told the station.

A hall pass was found on Tisdale’s body that included a name beginning with the letter “D,” followed by “Tisdale,” a signature beginning with the letter “K” and a date: “10/19/2010.”

It proved to be the key break in this grisly missing person mystery.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297964

4 hospitalized in JP restaurant shooting

By O’Ryan Johnson | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Four people were shot on Jamaica Plain’s bustling Centre Street tonight and police said at least two of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

The shooting started at 7:24 p.m. inside a restaurant called Same Old Place, police said. A fight broke out and three men were shot inside the restaurant. A woman passing by outside was grazed in the leg, police said. One of the men shot was apprehended outside the restaurant holding a gun, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said.

“The initial report is all part of a fight and it’s all self-contained,” Davis said. “They are all here.”

An eyewitness, John, 45, who declined to give his last name but was interviewed by police at the scene, said he had just left J.P. Licks and had crossed the street when he heard about seven shots and saw a man fall on the pavement.

“It was really scary. It was like the Wild West. It was just like the Wild West,” John said.

Police cordoned off a large section of the neighborhood while homicide detectives rounded up a number of witnesses who were placed inside of an MBTA bus to await further questioning.

All four victims were taken to local hospitals, cops said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297988

Bullet strikes Mattapan school window

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Bullet strikes Mattapan school window
November 18, 2010

Boston police said a bullet apparently struck the window of a classroom at the Young Achievers Science and Math K-8 School in Mattapan. Police were called to the school at about 11 a.m., after a teacher walked into the classroom and saw a shattered window. “Thankfully, there are no reported injuries,’’ said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for Boston police. Police responded to a call for shots fired several days ago, far from the school, Driscoll said.

Mass. unemployment rate drops to 8.1 percent as 10,000 jobs added

Mass. unemployment rate drops to 8.1 percent as 10,000 jobs added
By Herald staff | Thursday, November 18, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets

The state’s unemployment rate last month plunged to 8.1 percent, marking the second straight month of a steep decline in the jobless rate.

New data shows that employers added 10,000 jobs to payrolls in October, most of them in the education and health-care fields.

The state’s jobless rate in now substantially lower than the national rate of 9.6 percent.

Many economists had feared that the state might face a rough October on the jobs front, due to the mixed news from September, when the jobless rate fell to 8.4 percent from 8.9 percent, but employers also cut a substantial number of payroll, a figure that was revised slightly upward to 21,300 in today’s report.

The contradictory September data - based on two separate reports - led some to believe that jobs creation was sputtering out in Massachusetts.

But the October numbers were unmistakably clear.

The education and health-care sectors gained 5,100 jobs last month, after losing 7,100 jobs in September, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The leisure and hospitality sector gained 2,800 jobs, after a loss of 11,900 jobs in September.

Two areas of concern are the construction and professional/scientific services industries, which lost a combined 2,400 jobs.

Over the past year, employers have added 48,300 private-sector jobs to payrolls in Massachusetts.

"Today, we have more promising economic news. Since September, the unemployment rate has experienced its steepest decline in more than 30 years and just last month we added 10,000 jobs," said newly re-elected Gov. Deval Patrick. "Putting people to work will remain at the top of my agenda because, despite these positive developments, we have more to do. I will not rest until everyone who is looking for a job can find one."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1297317

Wanted white supremacist arrested in SD County

Wanted white supremacist arrested in SD County
By Associated Press | Thursday, November 18, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | West

VISTA, Calif. — A reputed white supremacist gang member wanted for murder in Massachusetts has been arrested in San Diego County.

City News Service says 23-year-old Daniel Katusich was arrested Wednesday afternoon by a gang task force outside a Vista apartment. Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Miedecke says another man, 23-year-old Kenneth Ludwig, was arrested on suspicion of harboring a fugitive.

The sergeant says two other men, one of them a cousin of Katusich, were later arrested after drugs and a stolen gun were found in the apartment.

All four men remained jailed Thursday.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view.bg?articleid=1297320

11/18 6pm NE Univ. The FBI and the Murder of a Black Panther: From COINTELPRO to post 9/11 Repression

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The National Police Accountability Project
National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts
The Northeastern School of Law Chapters of the ACLU, Black Law Student Association and the NLG present:

The FBI and the Murder of a Black Panther:
From COINTELPRO to post 9/11 Repression

Contact Us

NPAP
14 Beacon Street Suite 701 Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617.227.6015 Email: npap@nlg.org

November 18, 2010
6 - 8 PM

Northeastern University Law School
250 Dockser Hall

(The new School of Law building, enter at 65 Forsyth Street)
Take Green Line (E Train) Northeastern University Stop; or the Orange Line to Ruggles Station

Participants:

Featuring:
Jeffrey Haas, Author of The Assassination of Fred Hampton

Discussants:
King Downing, National Police Accountability Project & Human Rights Racial Justice Center (New York)
J. Soffiyah Elijah, Criminal Justice Institute, Harvard Law School
Geraldine Hines, Superior Court Judge

Moderator:
Michael Avery, Suffolk Law School, former President of the NLG

NPAP CLEs & Roundtables:

NPAP is regularly organizing CLEs and Conferece Call Roundtables. While NPAP CLEs are open to all plaintiff's attorneys, Conference Call Roundtables are member only events.

Worcester police shoot man They say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first

Worcester police shoot man
They say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first

A suspect identified by family as Anthony Burns was treated after he was shot by police yesterday in Worcester. Wanted on outstanding warrants, he was in stable condition last night. (Tom Rettig/ Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
By Scott J. Croteau
Worcester Telegram & Gazette / November 17, 2010

WORCESTER— A Worcester man fleeing law enforcement officials looking to arrest him on warrants allegedly fired several shots at them before they shot him yesterday.

The officers returned fire around 12:30 p.m., twice striking the suspect, identified by family members as 20-year-old Anthony Burns, in the hip and chest.

“We are very lucky and very blessed that none of our guys got hit,’’ police Sergeant Kerry F. Hazelhurst said at the scene. “This one was close.’’

The suspect allegedly pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired at police.

Several bullet casings were seen on the ground, and a window of a police cruiser appeared to have been hit.

The Warrant Apprehension Team — made up of city and State Police and US marshals — were looking for the man at an apartment on Branch Street. When the man spotted team members, he took off from the apartment, running toward Interstate 290, police said.

Officers began to close in on the suspect in the area of 181 Grafton St.

“At this time, the suspect stopped running, pulled out a gun, and began shooting at the officers,’’ police said.

“Several other police vehicles arrived at the scene, and the suspect began to fire multiple rounds at the responding officers.’’

The officers fired back, striking the suspect. He fell and dropped the gun. Police then rushed to the suspect and handcuffed him.

A metal fragment was found in the right shoulder of an officer, according to police Chief Gary J. Gemme.

He was in his cruiser when the suspect allegedly fired a shot that smashed the passenger-side window.

The officer will see a specialist for further evaluation.

The two other officers were not hit, and all three were evaluated at St. Vincent Hospital.

The suspect was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus for treatment. He was listed in stable condition last night.

Police vehicles flooded Grafton Street, snarling traffic, as onlookers gathered.

It appeared the suspect immediately opened fire at police and had intended to fire at the officers, Chief Gemme said, citing preliminary reports.

It appeared three officers fired at the suspect, but their names were not released.

The officers will be placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, the chief said.

Burns’s sister, Jamey Burns, said last night that her brother was aware of at least one of the warrants and had planned to turn himself in. She said he decided not to because he started to fear for his safety after police repeatedly called his cellphone.

She said the charges related to one of the warrants arose after someone stole his car and committed a crime with it.Worcester police shoot man
They say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first

A suspect identified by family as Anthony Burns was treated after he was shot by police yesterday in Worcester. Wanted on outstanding warrants, he was in stable condition last night. (Tom Rettig/ Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
By Scott J. Croteau
Worcester Telegram & Gazette / November 17, 2010
E-mail|Print|Reprints| Text size – +
WORCESTER— A Worcester man fleeing law enforcement officials looking to arrest him on warrants allegedly fired several shots at them before they shot him yesterday.

The officers returned fire around 12:30 p.m., twice striking the suspect, identified by family members as 20-year-old Anthony Burns, in the hip and chest.

“We are very lucky and very blessed that none of our guys got hit,’’ police Sergeant Kerry F. Hazelhurst said at the scene. “This one was close.’’

The suspect allegedly pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired at police.

Several bullet casings were seen on the ground, and a window of a police cruiser appeared to have been hit.

The Warrant Apprehension Team — made up of city and State Police and US marshals — were looking for the man at an apartment on Branch Street. When the man spotted team members, he took off from the apartment, running toward Interstate 290, police said.

Officers began to close in on the suspect in the area of 181 Grafton St.

“At this time, the suspect stopped running, pulled out a gun, and began shooting at the officers,’’ police said.

“Several other police vehicles arrived at the scene, and the suspect began to fire multiple rounds at the responding officers.’’

The officers fired back, striking the suspect. He fell and dropped the gun. Police then rushed to the suspect and handcuffed him.

A metal fragment was found in the right shoulder of an officer, according to police Chief Gary J. Gemme.

He was in his cruiser when the suspect allegedly fired a shot that smashed the passenger-side window.

The officer will see a specialist for further evaluation.

The two other officers were not hit, and all three were evaluated at St. Vincent Hospital.

The suspect was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus for treatment. He was listed in stable condition last night.

Police vehicles flooded Grafton Street, snarling traffic, as onlookers gathered.

It appeared the suspect immediately opened fire at police and had intended to fire at the officers, Chief Gemme said, citing preliminary reports.

It appeared three officers fired at the suspect, but their names were not released.

The officers will be placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, the chief said.

Burns’s sister, Jamey Burns, said last night that her brother was aware of at least one of the warrants and had planned to turn himself in. She said he decided not to because he started to fear for his safety after police repeatedly called his cellphone.

She said the charges related to one of the warrants arose after someone stole his car and committed a crime with it.

Church arsonist pleads guilty in Springfield case

By Associated Press | Wednesday, November 17, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield man serving a federal prison sentence for burning down a mostly-black church to protest the election of President Barack Obama has been sentenced to six years in a case brought by state prosecutors.

The sentence is concurrent with the nine-year federal term Benjamin Haskell received for arson in the fire that destroyed the Macedonia Church of God in Christ hours after Obama’s 2008 election. That means the 25-year-old Haskell won’t have to serve additional time.

He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a 10-count state indictment that included drug distribution charges and a charge that he set fire to a vacant house back in 2003.

Superior Court Judge Cornelius Moriarty nearly rejected the plea bargain with prosecutors as too leniant, calling Haskell a "one-man crime wave."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297018

Cops struggle to ID beating victim

Cops struggle to ID beating victim
By Marie Szaniszlo | Wednesday, November 17, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

‘NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE’: Milton police officers scour the ground around Brierbrook Street yesterday after a mutilated body was discovered there Monday.
Photo by Matt Stone

Milton police yesterday made a public plea for help in identifying a young man whose badly battered and mauled, half-naked corpse was found on a leafy, affluent street.

The victim, a black male in his mid-teens to his early 20s, was wearing only jeans when his body was found about 9:30 p.m. Monday by a passer-by on Brierbrook Street at Parkwood Drive, said Chief Richard G. Wells Jr.

The young man was about 5-feet, 4-inches to 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighed no more than 120 pounds, with an athletic build and close-cropped hair, Wells said. He had no wallet or tattoos, the chief said.

“Right now, we need the public’s help,” he said. “Whoever this young man is, yesterday he got up. But at 9:30 last night, his body was found in a very gruesome condition.”

The victim’s entire body was mutilated, Wells said. Police returned to the scene yesterday after more of the young man’s remains were found scattered on the sidewalk.

It was unclear, however, whether the young man had been dragged or dropped in the street.

Police had hoped to identify the victim through fingerprints, but he had no criminal record, Wells said. Some of his teeth were also missing.

Police have since received some calls about missing people, Wells said, but the man’s identity and cause of death so far are unknown.

“There’s a multitude of possibilities,” he said. “I really don’t want to speculate.”

The grisly discovery stunned residents in the secluded, suburban neighborhood, not far from Route 28 and the Blue Hills Reservation.

In the 15 years Laurie Macintosh has lived on Parkwood Drive, the only crime she can remember being reported was the theft of some cash from a car several years ago.

“Nothing ever happens here,” said Macintosh, 55. “We’re all mostly small-business owners. . . . I just think of the poor family somewhere that lost their son. It’s creepy that (whoever did this) chose this neighborhood.’’

Chris Tosi, another longtime resident, said he suspects the young man’s body was dumped there by someone looking for a quiet, secluded street.

“I just feel so bad for the boy,” he said.

“The quality of life people enjoy here is truly magnificent,” Wells said. “But . . . crime is mobile. We’re not immune to that.”

Police are urging anyone with information to call them at (617) 698-3800 or, anonymously, at (617) 698-COPS.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296945

Mutilated body found in Milton

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Mutilated body found in Milton
By Joe Dwinell and Laura Crimaldi | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Fox25

The state medical examiner is now trying to determine the identity of a young man found hacked up and dumped on a sleepy Milton street last night near the Blue Hills reservation.

"The identity of the young man, who was the victim of obvious trauma, has not been established," said David Traub, spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

Traub reports Milton cops and state police spent the night on Brierbrook Street hunting for clues in the hacking homicide. Traub said the man’s remains were scheduled to be transported to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston at 4:30 a.m. for an autopsy.

Police report a passerby stumbled upon the horrific scene last night around 9:30. The neighborhood is close to the Blue Hills State Park south of Boston off Route 28.

Milton Police Chief Richard Wells told the Associated Press officers arriving at the scene "encountered a very gruesome situation." Investigators do not believe the victim lived in the upscale neighborhood and Wells says the killing does not appear to be connected to any criminal activity in the area.

According to published reports, police are looking for two cars seen in the vicinity of the murder scene. Other reports state the victim was found wearing only pants and is a light-skinned young man.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296722

Dot tot found with 17 bags of crack

(crack cocaine in plastic bags - general photo)
By O’Ryan Johnson | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

A 3-year-old girl in a Dorchester day care complained yesterday that the pink Nike Air Jordan on her left foot was tight, but the teacher discovered the problem wasn’t the shoe.

It was the 17 baggies of crack cocaine stuffed inside, police said.

The teacher notified the principal, who called the cops. When the girl’s mother arrived at the ABCD Walnut Grove Headstart program on Elm Hill Avenue, she told police the girl had complained that morning that her foot hurt, but her mom loosened the laces and shipped her off to school.

She told cops she hadn’t noticed the bags inside the girl’s shoes at the time.

Police said they tracked down Demare Gary, 19, of Roxbury, a relative.

He admitted to stashing the crack in the girl’s shoe the previous evening, cops said.

Gary was charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in a school zone. The girl’s name was not released.

Police said a complaint was filed with the Department of Children and Families. Calls to the program’s business number last night after hours were not immediately returned.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296654

Investigation of Boston police officer Michael McManus causes Southwick parents of David Woodman to relive anger, pain from son's death

Monday, November 15, 2010

Investigation of Boston police officer Michael McManus causes Southwick parents of David Woodman to relive anger, pain from son's death

Manon Mirabelli
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/investigation_of_boston_police.html

Manon Mirabelli photo
Cathy and Jeffrey Woodman, of Southwick, with photos of their son, David, who died after sustaining injuries during an arrest while celebrating the Boston Celtics 2008 NBA championship.

SOUTHWICK – The same Boston police officer investigated for his role in the 2008 death of David J. Woodman was captured on video last month allegedly using excessive force in the arrest of a 16-year-old Roxbury boy.

Cathy and Jeffrey Woodman say this latest incident is an insult to their son’s memory and a blow to their fragile attempts to move on with their lives in the two years since David’s death.

David Woodman was a 22-year-old Emmanuel College student on June 18, 2008, when he had a confrontation with police during a celebration of the Boston Celtics’ NBA championship. His heart stopped during the incident as police took him into custody on a public drinking charge, and he was dead 11 days later.

“I hoped that they had learned something, but it happened again,” Cathy Woodman said. “The police officer who initiated the attack that took my son’s life is at it again. He didn’t learn anything, and he is not humbled. He doesn’t care that he killed someone. We will always hold him responsible for our son’s death.”
Michael T. McManus, 32, a patrol officer assigned to the district that covers Roxbury, is on administrative desk duty while the internal affairs division of the Boston Police Department investigates the Oct. 22 arrest of a 16-year-old Roxbury boy. He is among at least six officers who were captured on cell phone video by a witness who then posted that video on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXDJvBaTTDQ&feature=player_embedded

Boston police officers attempt to subdue a 16-year-old suspect at Roxbury Community College.

“Nothing hurts more than to know he’s at it again,” said Cathy Woodman. “This has reignited all the feelings we have, all the anger and pain, to know it’s happening again.”

Boston Police spokesperson Eddy Crispin said Wednesday that McManus, who joined the force in 2007, a year before his encounter with Woodman, “is on administrative duty pending the outcome of this latest incident.”

“This incident is still under investigation,” Crispin said. “The other one was fully investigated and resolved.”

A witness to the arrest of the Roxbury juvenile, whose name has not been released, used a cell phone camera to record McManus and at least five other officers punching and kicking the teen while he was on the ground at an entrance of Roxbury Community College.

“When Jeff and I heard about this, we looked and saw the same officer who was so aggressive with David go after this kid with a mob of officers on top of him,” Cathy Woodman said.

According to police, the officers struggled to hold down the suspect and struck him after he swung a handcuff at them, then tried to hit and kick them. The suspect has a pending charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

“The police overreact, then demonize the suspect,” said Cathy Woodman. “Instead of just owning up to it and taking responsibility, they cover it up then put the families through hell to defend their children.”

Woodman said a private investigation initiated by Boston civil rights attorney Howard Friedman found that it was McManus who made initial physical contact with her son as David walked down a street near Fenway Park with a cup of beer in his hand after being told to stop by police.

“ I hoped that they had learned something, but it happened again. The police officer who initiated the attack that took my son’s life is at it again. He didn’t learn anything, and he is not humbled. He doesn’t care that he killed someone. We will always hold him responsible for our son’s death.”
- Cathy Woodman, mother

The ensuing struggle resulted in Woodman being handcuffed on the ground, but sometime during the altercation he stopped breathing, according to reports of the incident. His mother says David Woodman was deprived of oxygen for four to 10 minutes and suffered brain damage. He lived for 11 days before dying in the hospital.

“He woke up five days later, and the first thing he said was, ‘Hi Mom,’” Cathy Woodman recalled.

The last time she spoke with him was by phone, she said, when he said, “I love you, Mom.”

Police maintain Woodman’s death was caused by a pre-existing heart condition, but Cathy Woodman said the condition as not responsible for her son’s death. “He had a heart condition, but he was not at risk for dying,” she said.

“Our medical expert said his condition was not the cause of death,” Cathy Woodman added. “Even the Boston medical examiner put on the death certificate the cause of death was fatal arrhythmia due to brain damage” caused by the lack of oxygen.

Both Woodman and Friedman say witness statements from the 2008 altercation revealed police did not attempt to revive David after he collapsed. Police refuted that account and said one of the officers on the scene tried to give David Woodman mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, while McManus performed chest compressions.

“The key thing is that when the paramedics arrived and asked what happened, what the police told them simply wasn’t true,” Friedman said. “They said he collapsed and that they did not try to arrest him. It’s shocking, just shocking, that they would not tell the truth when someone was seriously injured.”

An independent panel ruled there was a “lack of supervision” and other “missteps” by Boston police and concluded that Woodman may have stopped breathing for several minutes before officers realized his condition. The panel concluded, though, that none of the mistakes contributed to Woodman’s death.

The city paid the Woodman family a $3 million out-of-court settlement in a civil lawsuit in June.

The late David Woodman, center, is seen in this undated family photograph with his parents, Cathleen and Jeffrey Woodman.

“The settlement was their idea, not ours,” said Cathy Woodman, who added that the money was put in a charitable foundation established in her son’s name. The first scholarship in David Woodman’s name was awarded in June to a senior graduating from his alma mater, Southwick-Tolland Regional High School.

“There is no closure. There is no such thing when your child dies” Cathy Woodman said while fighting tears as she spoke about the allegations against the Boston police. “It is like your skin – it’s always with you. You feel it all the time. The sense of injustice is so defeating.”

Friedman said he is not involved in this latest incident, but “that doesn’t mean I might not.” “From what the video shows, there was a civil rights violation,” he said.

This newest development, Friedman added, does not bode well for the Boston Police Department.

“To now be involved in two incidents is a bad sign for the officer, but to be involved in a somewhat similar case is a bad sign for the department,” he noted.

Scooter rider killed in Roxbury hit-run

By Associated Press | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
ROXBURY — Boston police are searching for the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a person riding a Vespa scooter.

The victim died following the crash late Sunday night on Tremont Street in the Roxbury neighborhood. Police did not release the victim’s name.

Police believe the vehicle was a dark SUV that is likely missing at least one headlight and has extensive front end damage.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296453

Turner loyalists just fooling themselves

Turner loyalists just fooling themselves
By Joe Fitzgerald | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

Photo by Matthew Healey (file)

Chuck Turner says he’s “surprised” Tom Menino would call for his resignation from the City Council, as if it’s odd that a mayor would distance himself from the odious presence of a sticky-fingered pol.

The only thing “odd” about Menino’s ultimatum is his willingness to lock horns with this disgraced Roxbury felon, given the shameful silence of other office-holders who appear to be terrorized by Turner’s ruthless demagoguery.

Likening himself to slaves “who were whipped and lashed and hung,” the convicted councilor has the repulsive gall to cast himself as a martyr, wrapping himself in the robes of those who suffered for human dignity, for basic justice, as if he, too, had lost his liberty in the pursuit of something noble.

But where’s the nobility in being identified as a crook by a jury of your peers? Where’s the nobility in accepting a bribe? Where’s the nobility in being exposed as a two-bit hustler willing to sell his soul for a measly grand?

Contrition? Please. Try defiance.

Little wonder Chuck’s “surprised” that Menino would take the high road, since it’s clearly “the road less traveled” by the political lemmings who masquerade as public servants in this town.

Now Chuck’s producing a batch of letters from diehard loyalists who profess to love him despite his shortcomings, which says more about them than it does about him; it’s not unlike those bizarre marriage proposals sent by sentimental dolts to incarcerated barbarians.

Who can explain such wayward affections, other than surmising they have simply allowed their hearts to overrule their heads.

As for black history, which he soils with his self-serving exploitation, Chuck brings to mind the words of Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist, talking about confronting power: “Find out what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.”

Indeed, most of his constituents know that Chuck Turner’s corruption is not reflective of them. So why submit to him?

A few years ago a Mattapan reader named Sheila Gunn called to lament what she felt was an unfair image.

“If all you know of Mattapan is what you see on TV or read in the papers, you end up judging all of us by just a little bit of truth. Well, I’m sorry, that’s not fair.”

She was right, and it’s no less unfair for residents of Turner’s district to be besmirched by a continuing identity with him.

Menino was right. The sooner this fraud is gone, the better.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1296395

Mass. stamp of approval

Mass. stamp of approval
By Natalie Sherman | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

PEN PALS: City Councilor Chuck Turner, convicted of taking a $1,000 bribe and lying to the FBI, is the focus of a supportive letter-writing campaign.
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald

Letters and petitions with hundreds of signatures asking a federal judge to go easy on convicted City Councilor Chuck Turner have arrived at the U.S. District Court in Boston, echoing Turner’s plea that he didn’t do anything wrong and should be allowed to stay free and in public office.

“He’s a good man who may have to spend 20 years in jail. He is a good man who really is not a criminal, not even a white collar criminal,” insisted Lincoln resident Cynthia Ritsher, 76, a member of the Alliance for Democracy, confirming for the Herald that she sent a letter of support. She was one of a number of activists from outside Turner’s District 7 to speak up for him.

Last month, a jury convicted Turner of taking a $1,000 bribe and lying to the FBI. The case was part of a broader corruption sting in which former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson pleaded guilty. Turner is due to be sentenced Jan. 25 and could face more than 20 years in prison.

As of yesterday, four letters and seven copies of a petition with a total of 265 signatures had been filed asking Judge Douglas Woodcock to give Turner probation so that he can continue to serve on the City Council.

“I just think that this is way out of proportion,” letter-writer Alison Gottlieb, 63, of Jamaica Plain, a member of Dorchester for Peace, told the Herald. “Giving people jail time for something like this is a waste of taxpayer money.”

Turner has served on the Council since 1999. He has said he will not step down before his term ends next year, despite pressure, including Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s call for his resignation.

The City Council will hold a hearing Dec. 1 to determine whether or not to expel Turner from the board. Turner has said he will not run for re-election.

Many of the supporters reached yesterday said they don’t know Turner personally or even live in his district, but had collaborated with him on prison reform and peace initiatives through local activist groups.

“He has done a tremendous job for the Roxbury district,” said Lizella Reed, 70, of Dorchester, who signed one of the petitions. “I don’t live in that district but I’ve seen the results ... All my friends are very pleased with him. They have voted for him over and over again, as has my grandson.”

Supporters also said they believed the FBI targeted Turner because he is black.

“It’s interesting that the two people he tried to get hold of are Chuck and Dianne Wilkerson, who are both black,” Ritsher said. “That whole racism bit that’s always there.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296394

New pot law blamed as violence escalates

New pot law blamed as violence escalates
By Laurel J. Sweet and O’Ryan Johnson | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

BIG TIME: Nantucket police recovered 107 marijuana plants in two separate areas over the summer.
Photo by Nantucket PD

Since recreational marijuana use was decriminalized in Massachusetts last year, pot-related trafficking and violence have escalated across the state, frustrated law enforcement officials tell the Herald.

Smoking weed is not a victimless crime, they say.

“We knew it was going to be a nightmare for public safety and law enforcement. An ounce of marijuana can make a thousand joints,” Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said. “Question 2 perpetuated a feeling that marijuana is somehow safer than other drugs. It’s another mind-altering substance. What are we doing in this country? Can’t anyone get through the day without a drink or a drug?”

In November 2008, by nearly 2 to 1, Bay Staters voted to snuff out the threat of jail time for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis in favor of a $100 civil fine, proceeds from which are intended to puff up city and town coffers. The law, however, provides no enforcement mechanism for police to collect the money. Stiffer penalties for buying or selling the drug, or possessing more than an ounce, remain in place.

“Marijuana trafficking is no different from the wholesale distribution of any illicit substance. It’s accompanied by guns and violence in the short term and it floods communities with illegal drugs in the long term. It threatens public safety and public health,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley. He said his open trafficking cases — dealing in 50 pounds of pot or more — have hit a historic high since the passage of Question 2 by doubling from roughly two prosecutions at any one time to four.

Several recent high-profile killings have been linked by law enforcement to pot, including:

The Sept. 30 fatal shooting of Adam Coveney, 29, of Waltham. Four men, including a Newton North High School senior, have been charged in connection with the alleged dealer robbery and murder.
The Sept. 28 massacre of four people in Mattapan — among them, a 21-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son — allegedly in a pot-dealing turf dispute.
The May 2009 fatal shooting of Justin Cosby, 21, inside a Harvard University dorm, allegedly in a bid to rob him of pot and cash.
The June 2009 murder of Tyriffe Lewis, 17, in Callahan State Park in Framingham, where prosecutors say he was lured by two men seeking revenge in a fight over marijuana.

In Boston, where one of the most shocking mass killings in recent city history was pot-related, police Commissioner Edward Davis blames drugs in general for surging violence — 65 murders compared to 44 last year at this time. Of Question 2, he said, “I can tell you I’m concerned. I wish we had gone another way in Massachusetts.”

But Mike Meno of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, which helped push Question 2, faults partial decriminalization for the violence: “If they’re worried about the criminal element, the answer is to end the criminalization of marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. Marijuana is not going away. Anyone who believes that is naive. It’s used by millions of Americans.”

Leone said he fears decriminalization has created a booming “cottage industry” for dope dealers to target youths no longer fearing the stigma of arrest or how getting high could affect their already dicey driving. Leone’s combined distribution and trafficking caseload rose from 445 in 2008 to 464 in 2009. This year’s caseload stood at 422 as of last week, on track to match or exceed last year.

Leone, who is handling the Framingham, Waltham and Cambridge murder cases, said, “What we’re seeing now is an unfortunate and totally predictable outcome. It’s a cash-and-carry business.” With more small-time dealers operating, he said, turf encroachment is inevitable. “That tends to make drug dealers angry.”

In Essex County, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said his marijuana trafficking case load jumped from three in 2007 and one in 2008 to eight in 2009.

“It’s a dangerous business,” Blodgett said. “We’ve had arrests of people who’ve never been involved in trafficking before but got involved in the game. And whenever that happens, there’s going to be violence.”

Wellesley Deputy Police Chief William Brooks III, speaking on behalf of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said, “The whole thing is a mess. The perception out there among a lot of people is it’s OK to do it now, so there’s an uptick in the number of people wanting to do it. . . . Most of the drug-related violence you see now — the shootings, the murders — is about weed.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296392

Cops overlooked second dead man Body discovered 2 1⁄2 days after other victim

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cops overlooked second dead man
Body discovered 2 1⁄2 days after other victim
By Marie Szaniszlo | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Boston police detectives are seen Tuesday on Mascot Street in Dorchester after a body was found near a garage.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

Boston police are investigating why the body of a teenager lay undiscovered for 2 1⁄2 days after another was found across the street.

The body of 19-year-old Nervin Charlot of Boston was found at 11 a.m. Tuesday behind an abandoned house at 63 Mascot St. in Mattapan by a workman painting an adjacent building, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said.

Almost 60 hours earlier, police had responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 64 Mascot St. and found 17-year-old Emmanuel Loissaint, also of Boston, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

“We’re certainly troubled by that,” Davis said of the lapse in time. “We believe finding that body is something we should have done.”

When officers discovered Loissaint at about 1 a.m. Sunday, their investigation focused on 64 Mascot St. and the direction in which witnesses told them the assailants had fled, the commissioner said.

Police also were working in a “difficult environment.”

“It was not easy to see,” Davis said.

In addition to the darkness, investigators had to contend with rain and wind-blown leaves, he said, although Charlot’s body was not covered in leaves when it was eventually found.

Police believe the two shootings are linked for several reasons, including their proximity.

“They did know each other and were affiliated with the same gang,” Davis said. “And it was a similar caliber gun.”

Loissaint died Sunday of a single gunshot wound to the chest at Boston Medical Center, police said.

Charlot’s body was found in the yard of the house across the street and was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that he had been shot in the chest, police said.

Davis urged anyone with information about the shootings to contact the homicide unit at 617-343-4470.

“We believe there are individuals with information about these shootings,” he said.

People who wish to remain anonymous can call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS, or text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296164

Chuck Turner: ‘No reason’ to step down

Chuck Turner: ‘No reason’ to step down
By Dave Wedge | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

VOTING NO ON QUITTING: Chuck Turner refuses to leave his post in City Council chambers without a fight.
Photo by Herald file

Embattled City Councilor Chuck Turner said he was “surprised” Mayor Thomas M. Menino called on him to step down and again pledged to serve out his term, despite his recent federal corruption conviction.

“The mayor knows that during my 11 years as councilor there has never been even a hint of financial impropriety,” Turner told the Herald yesterday. “He knows in his heart of hearts there’s no reason why I can’t serve out my term.”

Menino last week called on Turner to resign, citing the councilor’s conviction last month for taking a $1,000 bribe and lying to federal agents. Turner is awaiting January sentencing; the council has set a Dec. 1 hearing to determine whether he should be expelled from the board.

Turner called Menino’s statements “political” and said the mayor should not judge him for a corruption case that he claims “the FBI cooked up.”

“I voted against all the fat-cat projects,” Turner said. “There is nothing (improper) he or anyone else could cite.”

Turner has pledged to serve out his term. And he said he has abandoned plans to appeal — for now.

“At the moment, an appeal — I just can’t see any value,” he said.

“I don’t have any interest in trying to persuade anyone I’m not guilty or that the jury made a mistake. I believe the jury did make a mistake and history will certainly vindicate me.”

Turner has compared himself to former Mayor James Michael Curley, who continued to serve despite felony convictions.

Council President Michael Ross said he plans to make a motion at next month’s hearing, but won’t say if he’ll be seeking Turner’s ouster.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296160

Mayor Menino: It’s time to dump the trash Mayor vows to clean up blighted neighborhoods, track deadbeat owners

Mayor Menino: It’s time to dump the trash
Mayor vows to clean up blighted neighborhoods, track deadbeat owners
By Jessica Fargen | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

STANDING TALL: Mayor Thomas M. Menino stands in front of the property at 62 North Beacon St. in Allston, owned by Forrest D. Whitcher, who owes $19,125 in overdue fines.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is waging war on “trashy landlords,” including some of the country’s biggest banks, who refuse to pay millions in fines for illegal garbage and dumping offenses that have become the scourge of some Hub neighborhoods.

“They cannot thumb their nose at their fines,” said Menino, who, armed with the “muscle’’ of a tough new law, will soon move to put liens on the properties of the worst scofflaws.

“This is about putting penalties on trashy landlords who drag down the neighborhoods.”

Six months into the new law, the city has issued “green tickets” for 48,000 violations and collected more than twice as much money as usual as officials try to eliminate blight and put a dent in the $4.9 million in outstanding fines.

The get-tough strategy includes:

• Identifying deadbeat property owners — 280 at last count — who will have liens placed on their properties in January, the soonest allowed by the new law. Those owners collectively owe the city $500,000. Menino calls the liens the “muscle behind the intention.”

• Sending out stern letters to 30 property owners, some of whom owe $30,000 and more, who are not covered by the law.

• Boosting collections to $379,797 since the law was passed in May, compared to $173,748 during that same time period last year, according to the Inspectional Services Department.

“We are going to hold them accountable,” said ISD Commissioner William J. Good III. “We expect people to be responsible citizens. It’s up to them to keep their property up and maintain it. In the past, there may not have been serious consequences. There are now.”

Some of the biggest offenders are banks, including Wells Fargo, which owes the city $60,000 in fines on foreclosed properties, more than any other entity, according to ISD records. The bank owns more than 100 properties in the city that have been cited for violations including graffiti and improper trash storage.

Wells Fargo spokesperson Jason Menke said the bank has reached out to ISD.

“We understand the city’s concerns,” he said. “In some cases involving foreclosure, property records may not reflect current ownership. We will follow up with the city as necessary to ensure any outstanding obligations are met.”

City Councilor Sal LaMattina, whose East Boston neighborhood is home to some of the properties, called it a “slap in the face” that the bank isn’t paying.

“They make a lot of money from working-class families and the least they should be doing is paying their fines and keeping up their properties,” he said. “That’s their responsibility and shame on them.”

Neighbors say the blighted properties are at best unattractive and at worst dangerous.

“It’s been a mess,” Allison Carroll, 39, said of the property at 6 Milford St., a brick townhouse in the South End with broken windows and a history of violations.

The owner, Robert E. Bonds, owes $17,235 in fines, according to ISD.

A man who answered the phone at Bonds’ South End home and would not give his name claimed residents dumped trash on Bonds’ properties and that a contractor performing work on the properties was responsible. Attempts to reach Bonds were unsuccessful.

In South Boston, local moms say an abandoned warehouse on West Third Street owned by Conticast Corp. of Ohio is a blight. Graffiti covers one wall and trash is piled in a corner.

“I don’t walk home that way. There’s not much light. There’s not much traffic,” said Debby Robbins, 29, who takes her daughter to a nearby park.

The warehouse owner, Conticast Corp., owes $30,045, according to ISD. A representative from the company could not be reached.

Even when the owners can be tracked down, they can be uncooperative.

“Don’t call me again,” Forrest D. Whitcher, who owns 62 N. Beacon St. in Allston, told the Herald when asked why he hadn’t paid $19,125 in violations.

Menino vowed to take property owners to housing court if they fail to respond to a lien placed on their property.

“We are going to use all the tools in our tool book to make sure those neighborhoods are clean,” he said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296166

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